For the first time, NBN Co. will combine access to high speeds, committed bandwidth and premium service levels at a discounted charge in a move designed to deliver significant savings for retail providers.

NBM Co. wholesale discount bundles will include:

[1] Wholesale speeds of 50/20Mbps* optimised for smaller businesses;

[2] Wholesale speeds of 100/40Mbps* with support for multiple phone lines for medium-sized businesses;

[3] Wholesale symmetrical committed speeds of 20/20Mbps and a 100/40Mbps peak information rate**; and

[4] Wholesale symmetrical committed speeds of 50/50Mbps and a 250/100Mbps peak information rate for data-intensive and multi-site organisations**.

Each of the discount bundles will include a minimum 12 hour enhanced service level agreement with 24/7 support between NBN Co and retailer as well as bandwidth which incrementally increases with higher bundles.

To help increase service continuity and reduce interruption for businesses, selected wholesale discount bundles will also include the option to install a subsequent line to test critical applications before connecting to the nbn™ access network^.

The company is currently working with industry to implement the discounts, with the aim of releasing them on its fixed line network to internet providers from early 2019.

Today's announcement comes as NBN Co reaches half a million businesses on the nbn™ access network and represents another step in a series of customer experience measures. In August 2018, the company launched a new Business Operations Centre to help provide specialist technical support and recently began a trial of premium business-grade appointments to help increase certainty of appointment times and reduce disruption to day-to-day operations.

Head of nbn™ local for New South Wales, Amber Dornbusch said:

"Whether businesses in Port Macquarie rely on basic cloud-based applications, multi-line telephony or require multi-site connectivity solutions, we're confident we have a proposition that will meet these requirements.

"Our research reveals increased connectivity is already driving a growth in digital transformation in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales with the nbn™ access network predicted to contribute to the growth of up to 620 new businesses in the area by 2021 – we want to ensure our wholesale product suite is flexible enough to keep up with this future demand.

"We recognise some businesses in Port Macquarie may be on nbn™ powered retail plans that have not been optimised for their needs. Local businesses should speak to their service provider about whether they require high-speeds for cloud applications, committed and symmetrical information rates for audio and video conferencing or increased service assurance for business-critical applications.

"NBN Co does not set retail prices, however our new wholesale discount bundles are designed to incentivise retailers to offer these business-grade services to improve customer experience on the network.

"We're committed to continually working with the industry to invest in our wholesale product and service suite such as our business-grade satellite service, which is due to launch in 2019 and designed to benefit regional and rural organisations."

Council of Small Businesses of Australia Chief Executive Officer, Peter Strong said:

"We are pleased to see an emphasis on enhanced service levels to ensure NBN Co and retailers can work together to provide businesses with the support they require.

"Businesses should ensure they educate themselves about what is available to support their needs and we hope that this new initiative will open up the forum for greater discussion around the correct package for usage needs between businesses and their retailer."